Soul Survivor
by ceceba
Summary: Oliver Queen is dead. Felicity knows this. What she doesn't know is the size of the plot that unfolds after his fall. Or the players of a game she didn't even know was played. Soon she plays it too while her friends desperately try to keep secrets that are becoming harder and harder to keep.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **None of the Characters are mine, they all belong to DC Comics/The CW. Alone the suffering and pain they experience is mine. Well not exactly, I guess, the show is full of angst enough without fanfic authors adding to it.

**A/N:** After _The Climb_ I went quite Sherlock on the scene, formulated a theory, started writing...just to revise it in the morning with a better theory. Here's the story anyway. The title is a SPN episode, I know, but I like it. Anyways, enjoy.

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><p>Felicity knew something was wrong when the assassin came down the steps alone. She had been waiting up with Diggle and Roy when they heard him, his boots a mere whisper on the steps. They had barely spoken in the last four hours (she had kept a close watch of the clock) and the Foundry was as quiet as it had ever been. That was until the assassin came.<p>

The man was of Asian heritage, clad in the traditional garb of the League. Something about his face was sad, although he tried not to show it. He pulled something out of the bag that was slung over his shoulder.

"No," she whispered. A hiccuping sob escaped her and her eyes were tearing. She could barely identify the piece of clothing the assassin held up. It was a thick brown jacket. Olivers jacket.

"No," she said again, louder. "No, no, no, no, no." She hardly registered Diggle's arm around her shoulders, pressing her into his shirt. Somewhere the assassin said something but she didn't want to hear it. Wished she hadn't heard it.

_Oliver Queen is dead. _

The words made the room spin and her knees give in. They were the only thing that existed for a while. They made time lose it's meaning and drove a knife into her heart.

_Oliver Queen is dead._

Later Diggle drove her home. The tears had ceased a while ago, but she still felt like she was going to puke. Sitting in the passenger seat of his car she stared outside.

Starling City bustled in the night like it always did, huge and oblivious. She tried to figure out how long it would take the citizens to figure out their vigilante was gone. How long it would take the police to realize that the city was at their mercy completely.

As they drove past Palmer Technologies another hiccuping sob made it's way past her lips. She let her head fall against the window, ignoring the thousands of mini earthquakes that vibrated through her skull. She could feel Diggle's worried eyes on her and wondered how he could be so calm. Then again he had been in the military and Oliver not the first friend he lost. Another unfairness of life.

"Want me to stay over?," he asked when he halted in front of the apartment.

She shook her head. Taking a deep breath she said: "I'll be alright." Her voice sounded only minimally shaken.

When she closed the door behind her she saw him still sitting by the curb. He would probably be there all night, in case she needed him.

She smiled regardless of the situation and tears started to slip down her cheeks again. Somehow she managed to change before she collapsed on the bed, to exhausted to even crawl under the covers. Felicity closed her eyes. No sleep came and she turned to her side, staring at the empty bed. She imagined Oliver lying next to her, smiling, adoring her. She reached out to touch him, but her hand passed through air before hitting the mattress. Another sob shook her body and she rolled over to where her phone was. She went to recent calls, considering to ring Diggle up, but she never got there. The last number she called pranged on top of the list, ugly and mean, twisting the knife that was already buried in her heart.

For some reason she called him. Of course no one answered so after a minute that felt like forever she was redirected to the mailbox.

"Hi, this is Oliver Queen," the familiar voice answered. "I am currently very busy, so leave a message after the beep." She could hear the smile in his voice.

The beep came and then silence.

"Oliver," she said reluctantly. "I know this is senseless because you are dead, but…." She broke down again. "You are dead," she sobbed into the phone. "You are dead and I….and I already miss you. This just isn't fair. Diggle is outside my apartment in case I need him and it isn't fair because he should be home with Leyla and Sara getting comfort from them." She sobbed more, staring at her phone. She should hang up and go to bed. But she couldn't. "Why are you dead?," she asked the silence. "Why are you dead, Oliver? You said I wouldn't lose you, said I never would. You said you loved me. How can you be dead?"

She listened to the silence, hoping that he would take her call, laugh, say it was all some mistake. The only laughter was that in her head as she remembered his laugh. He laughed so seldom and she missed it already. Finally she hung up.

She went to her gallery, only to realize she had never taken any pictures of him. Curling up with her phone pressed to her chest she fell asleep.

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><p>She woke up with her alarm clock, rolled out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still a little red and puffy. Dark rings and messy hair complimented the look. She went to the bathroom to shower but before that came the task of getting out of her new pajamas. The dark green pajamas. The pajamas she had bought because they, more or less subconsciously, reminded her of the Arrow. The knife twisted again and not before long she was a wailing mess on the floor.<p>

She arrived at Palmer Tech only one and a half hours late, her ponytail messy and was promptly ordered into Rays office. Felicity expected him to be furious but one look at her had probably told him all he needed to know because he said: "Please, have a seat."

She did as she was told, giving him an expectant look.

"Felicity, are you okay?"

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Lest she started crying in front of her boss.

"Did something happen? Is your mother alright?"

She nodded and felt the tears welling up. Since it was already too late she said: "There….there has been a death in the family. My...my..," she stuttered, the lie not wanting to come.

Ray shook his head. "Felicity, you could've called off. It's okay. I want you to stay home as long as you need to. Do you need a flight home? I can arrange-"

"It's okay," she cut him off, suddenly annoyed. "I'm sorry. I just...I'll go crazy if I stay at home."

He nodded, clearly not satisfied, and dismissed her. She shuffled out of his office, dimly remembering how he had revealed A.T.O.M to her last night. Why did all her bosses turn out to be wanting to save the world in their free time? Why did she attract those damned playboy vigilantes like a magnet? She had half a mind to refuse him. At least that way she wouldn't get hurt again. She stifled another sob.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I don't know the update ratio as of yet. I kinda want to get it up until Arrow comes back but I also don't want to rush...so idk. Here is the second chapter for now. Enjoy.

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><p><em>It was cold. The ground was covered in thick, sticky snow. He and his sister were building a snowman, Thea collecting pebbles for it's face and buttons and he rolling the snow. When he was done with both snowballs he called out for her. She appeared from around the corner, packed in tight in a too big scarf and a snowsuit. Snow had gathered on the brim of her hat and stuck to it. She laughed.<em>

"_They aren't even round, Ollie," she giggled. _

"_Sure they are," he told her. _

"_No, they aren't." She pressed the decor in his hands and started to patch up his imperfect snowballs. "_Now _they are."_

_There was no difference after she was done and he couldn't help but stare. _

"_What?," she asked. _

"_Nothing," he said. "I just love you, Speedy."_

_The answer was a handful of snow in his face. He laughed._

"_There he is! Hey, Ollie!," Tommy called. He turned to see his friend at the bottom of the stairs, waving up at him. Thea and Laurel were with him, grinning broadly. He resisted the desire to slide down on the banister, mostly because the steps were full with people. When he reached his friends Thea was the first to hug him. _

"_Happy twentieth birthday," she said. _

"_Thanks, Speedy," he answered, squeezing her._

"_Ahhh, if it were only the twenty first," Tommy said winking. Thea shook her head and Laurel laughed. They kissed._

"_Happy Birthday," she said, straightening his tie. He smiled down on her, thinking how happy he was. _

"_Oliver!"_

_He turned, expecting to see his mother, but atop the stairs he found someone else. He squinted as he saw her amidst the crowd of people. Felicity usually didn't look bad, but right now right here he wouldn't have guessed she worked in IT. Not by her looks anyways. She had discarded her glasses for contacts, wore her usually pinned back hair open and not to mention a skintight short dress in gold. He started towards her and Diggle followed him. She started speaking before they even reached her, something he came to see was typical in her. _

"_So I'm getting a good signal from the GPS I put in your family's broach. I can track it on my phone. Speaking of, have you given any thought to what might happen if this doesn't work and the Dodger absconds with your family jewels?" After a pause she added "Sorry that came out very wrong."_

"_Let's just keep our eyes open, Felicity," he said, although he wasn't sure who he was addressing it to. Felicity had only agreed to help until they found Walter. He should quit wishing she would stay afterward. __Turning he walked away, pretending to be a regular party guest and not hunting a jewel thief._

"_I have the one you love," he heard Slade say in his head. "Now you will meet me where I say, or I will kill her."_

"_Yeah, you do what you have to, but I'm done playing your games," he told him. The world around him grew quiet, although he could see his friends kill the last remnants of Slades Mirakuru army from the corner of his eyes. Their death cries echoed through the tunnel but he didn't hear them, refused to hear them. _

"_You're done when I say you're done," the man balked. "I was surprised," he said and then Oliver knew it had worked. _

"_I thought you had a thing for stronger women," Slade continued. "But now that I've met her I can see the appeal. She is quite lovely, your Felicity." _

_Relief flooded through him, knowing that he had managed to outsmart Slade. And yet, as the last words lingered in the air, he couldn't help but feel a little as if someone had punched him in the guts. _

She is quite lovely, your Felicity.

_She wasn't his, was she? _

You'll always be my girl_, he'd said after she took a bullet for Sara. That much he was sure of._

I love you_, he'd said and then pressed the cure in her hand. But how much had he really meant it? When he had said it something in him shifted, but he didn't love her. He was simply fond of her. She was his friend after all, one of the few people who knew his secret-_

_He shook his head. He had to concentrate on getting her out of there. His feelings he could puzzle out later._

"_And the second thing?," Felicity asked. He looked at her, debating whether or not to tell her. But then, if he was going to die, he had to._

"_I love you," he said and she stared at him, her face a mixture of deer-in-the-headlights and punched-in-the-stomach. He turned before he could do any more damage, leaving everything he had with her in the room with beeping computers. _

_The ascend seemed to take forever, and as he walked the beeping grew louder, as if he walked towards the computers, instead of away. _

_Had Felicity's computers ever beeped?_

_He heard a door shut behind him._

_No, in front of him. _

_Around him…_

He opened his eyes, staring up at a white paneled ceiling. Machines beeped all around him, alarmingly many connecting him with some sort of tube or another. Someone was sitting by his bed but all he could make out from this angle was black. He struggled to sit up. Pain shot through his chest, as if someone had set his lungs on fire. His whole body hurt and ached. A hand pushed him back into the pillows and then he could see her clearly.

Her short dark hair was pulled back as usual and two dark, hard eyes were locked on him. A cruel smile played on her lips.

Amanda Waller.

"Welcome back in the world of the living, Mr. Queen. I propose you rest a little longer before we begin discussing the situation you have put us in."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** As said I will just update when I feel like it...I also don't know if I'll be done with this by the time Arrow comes back on or not, but whatever. Happy New Year and enjoy!

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><p>Going back to work hadn't been her best idea. It really really hadn't.<p>

The office reminded her too much of the year they had spent in it together, even though it was now fitted with all the things Ray thought she might or might not need. It still had been Olivers office first. And now he was dead and it was hers. She sniffled, looking out of the window. At least she had a good view at the world that was slowly crumbling beneath her fingertips.

Her phone rang shortly, indicating a text message. She looked at the sender, expecting it to be Diggle and hoping it was Oliver. It was from neither.

_Hey sweetie,_

_do you have any plans for Hanukkah yet? I thought maybe you could come home or maybe I could fly to Starling? I haven't seen my beautiful girl in ages. _

_Love, Mom._

Right, Hanukkah. And her friends would celebrate Christmas and then there was New Years Eve...and yet she felt less and less like celebrating. She tapped her fingers on the desk, trying to think of a polite but clear no. Felicity loved her Mom, but if she saw her she would know something was wrong. And then she would have to explain why exactly she cried herself to sleep and woke up with crying fits. Why she was constantly on the verge of tears. That her Mom couldn't do anything because the man that broke her heart was dead.

_Mom,_ she typed. But Mom what? What would her mother understand but not read as alarm signal.

_I'm sorry, but Diggle and Leila already invited me over. They are now engaged and decided to make Christmas also an official engagement party so I'm spend Hannukah alone and celebrate Christmas with them. Everyone else is coming too so it will be a merry little convention. _

_I hope you are not too disappointed?_

_Love, Felicity. _

She proof-read and hit send. Then she scrolled through the various messages she had gotten from Diggle.

_Felicity, is everything okay with you? Call if you need anything._

_I hope you are okay and don't do anything stupid. Text back?_

_Felicity? I want to believe you are at work and are busy?_

She sighed and texted back a simple _yes_. She could deal with Diggle after work.

Someone knocked on her door. "Felicity?"

Laurel smiled, her leather bag in front of her. "Am I interrupting?"

She put her phone aside and shook her head. "No, no you're not. Please come in."

Laurel took a step inside, the door falling shut behind her. "I'm just here because of Oliver." The lawyer smiled as if that explained everything. "I keep calling him but he won't answer. Do you know where he is?"

"No," she answered, and to her astonishment it wasn't even a lie. She didn't know where he was. All she knew was that he was dead.

"That is too bad. He told me about the ultimatum the League has set you and since there was no death I suppose you found Saras killer? Do you know who it is?," she seemed excited and Felicity realized that she had no idea. But she couldn't tell her it was Thea. Laurel wanted revenge and she was getting none from Thea.

"Yes, no, I…..I can't tell you Laurel, I'm so sorry."

"What, or he knows the League is after him? I can keep secrets, Felicity."

_So can I_, she thought bitterly, _but apparently not from a lawyer_. With a quick glance around she said: "Merlyn."

"Wait, I thought he didn't?"

"Turns out he did," she answered.

"So Ollie now helps the League capture him?"

_Yes_, she almost said. Her phone vibrated, another text from Diggle. How high were the chances that Laurel ran into him on the street. Or into Roy? For how long could she keep it from Laurel?

"No," she said. "I wish it were so, but it's more complicated than that. Merlyn only gave the command to have Sara killed. He has a video of her murder and if Oliver had told the League it was Merlyn he could have easily evaded them. And then they would have gone after...the person who shot the arrows, a person who didn't even knew what she was doing when she did it. A person Merlyn drugged and made completely obedient."

"So what did you tell the League?," Laurel looked confused.

"That Oliver did it. He challenged Ra's al Ghul to single combat."

"When…?," Laurel asked, looking at her. Felicity knew tears were streaming down her face again. Laurel collapsed into the chair opposite Felicitys. "Oh."

"I'm sorry no one told you Laurel. We got the news last night and…...I suppose it's too big of a shock to not tell everyone immediately."

Laurel nodded, although Felicity wasn't sure how much she understood. To her own sick relief Laurel wasn't crying.

"Who was he covering?," she asked after forever. "You said _she_ was drugged. Does she remember killing my sister? Why did he cover her?"

Felicity stifled a sob. "She doesn't remember a thing Laurel. I'm sorry."

"Who was it?," Laurel insisted.

"Thea," she said. Telling the story again was another twist on the knife.

"That's impossible! Thea was in Corto Maltese, how could-"

"That's what she thinks and that's what she's supposed to think. Merlyn drugged her and brought her to Starling to kill Sara. I don't know why exactly. I think he wanted Ra's al Ghul dead. Why he didn't challenge him himself I don't know."

Laurel was silent for a long time. When she got up determination was in her eyes.

"I'll find him, Felicity. I'll find Merlyn and I'll make him pay for what he did to me. To my family. To Ollie. I will make him pay."

"Laurel," she said, hesitating, snuffling. The lawyer looked expectant. "If there is anything I can help you with you only need to ask."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **POV will switch between Team Arrow/Queen, mostly because Oliver and Felicity are not the only people who this situation affects, plus they can't be always everywhere.

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><p>Thea felt a sense of déjà vu when the mailbox answered her for the billionth time.<p>

"Damn it, Ollie," she cursed the phone.

"What?," Chase asked.

"I'm not talking to you," she said, only slightly pissed off. Leaving her phone on the counter she started counting the earnings.

Chase walked over and grabbing it from where she left it, played with her phone. "Who is _Ollie_?"

"My brother," she answered. "Who I haven't heard from since last night where he acted suspicious."

"Suspicious, huh? In what way?"

"Well, first he asked me weird questions about the time I took off to deal with our mothers death. Then he came back, threw more accusations in the room, told me he loved me and I haven't hear from him since, which is kinda triggering with my brothers love for disappearing for indefinite time."

"Suspicious indeed. Maybe ask some of his friends if they heard from him?"

She almost had to laugh. "You don't know my brother. He doesn't have any friends…...aside from Laurel. Give me my phone."

He held it out for her only to pull back when she tried to grab it.

"Chase, please," she said.

He gave it to her and she dialed Laurels number. But it was as useless as calling Ollie.

"Nothing," she said, shoving him a pile of money. "Today's share."

He took the money, seemingly considering something. "Maybe colleagues?"

"What?"

"Your brother. Maybe ask some of his colleagues, since he doesn't have any friends."

He finally left her alone to ponder about that. She would call Laurel when she got home, but what if she didn't answer? Her brother didn't have a job Thea knew of, but previous jobs…..

She tried to recall a time she had seen being friendly with someone that wasn't Tommy or Laurel. There was John Diggle, his driver, but that was his driver, of course he would be wherever Ollie was. Other people though...the only person she could think of was his secretary. The one he promoted from some minor job in IT to his most trusted employee. What was her name again? Smoke?

Back at home she googled Palmer Technologies, hoping to find someone with that name. The closest she got was Felicity Smoak, the vice president. Thea decided it was worth a shot, especially after she failed to reach Laurel a third time that morning.

That's how she found herself at Palmer Technologies at eleven o'clock the same day, having to explain to the clerk that no, she did not have an appointment with Ms. Smoak, but that yes, it was urgent and Ms. Smoak would understand. In the end he called her and gave Thea directions to her floor.

Oddly enough Ms. Smoak seemed to inhabit Ollies old office and it was weird to see his former employee at his desk. She seemed nice enough, although Thea thought her smile a bit too broad. She also could swear her eyes were a little puffy with rings underneath them, although it was hard to see with the glasses.

"Thea Queen," she greeted her. "What can I help you with?"

"My brother actually," she said. At the mention of Ollie a shadow seemed to pass over the woman's face. Thea continued regardless. "He hasn't answered his phone in days and, well, you as his former secretary surely know of his affection of suddenly disappearing." She tried to try her most convincing smile. "And I thought you might also know where he could be?"

The ex-secretary smiled back. "I am sorry Ms. Queen, but I fear Mr. Queens hideouts are as secret to me as much as they are to you."

She thought for a second about the door at the back of the club, the one Ollie must have known about but failed to explain to her; then quickly dismissed it again. She thanked Ms. Smoak for her time, got up and walked to the elevator. Then the logo over the dials caught her eye. The door... if someone had an answer to her question it would be the head of a company that dealt with _Technologies_, wouldn't he?

The highest floor number did take her, as expected, to Ray Palmer's office. She made sure she wasn't interrupting anything, then knocked on the glass doors.

Palmer looked like he did in the pictures, handsome for someone a little older, but that was none of Thea's concern.

"Can I help you, Miss?," he asked.

"Actually yes. I know that I have no appointment, but my name is Thea Queen. I run a club down in the Glades and I ah….have a little technical mystery. How much do you know about password protected doors?"

As it turned out he knew a lot and was equally interested in anything that combined _technology_ and _mysteries_. She should have been a little scared to walk into unknown dark spaces with an older man, but she was, frankly, too giddy to care. To their luck Roy wasn't there yet, so no one saw them break into the basement. Although Thea wasn't sure if it was breaking and entering when the basement, technically, belonged to you and the break-in specialist was hired by you. Regardlessly Ray was able to crack the code and together they made their way down the steps. What unfolded in front of them was beyond her understanding:

Computers and metal lab tables dominated the room. Shooting dummies and weapons lined the walls. At the far end of the room she could make out a salmon ladder and sleeping arrangements, although the latter didn't look like it had been used for a while.

The most interesting thing however were the glass showcases admidst the weapons. One was empty, the other two displayed very similar items of clothing. One suit was red with decorative lacing and a red hood pulled over the dummies head. The other was much simpler, green and yet recognizable-

"The Arrow," Ray said admiringly.

"Great," Thea answered sarcastically. "I found the Starling City Vigilante's hideout in my basement. How is that gonna help me find my brother?"

Ray set down the arrow he was toying with and gave her a long look.

"Thea - I may call you that, yes?-," he said. "I think something bad happened to your brother."

She squinted at him. "Excuse me?"

"See, Felicity's…...behavior isn't always not suspicious. She pretty recently gave me reasons that made me think that maybe she was working with the Arrow. Which, just looking at the level of technology in here she very likely does. This also shows that your brother _is _the Arrow. I mean, the Vigilante showed up after your brother got back from that island and how better to hide your secret identity than to build your working place above it. And a club gave him an alibi as to why he had to be there at night."

Thea nodded understandingly. "That would explain why he promoted her. If she was working with the Arrow making her his secretary was a way to communicate with her unsuspiciously. But why are you saying something happened to him?"

"Because of Felicity. She was late yesterday and also seemed pretty out of it. When I asked her what happened she told me about a death in the family. And yet she refused to take time off and fly home to her mother. Which made me think that whatever happened didn't have anything with her relatives but her friends. Which - don't take this the wrong way - she doesn't seem to have many. And the person that is most endangered in this city, after the criminals, is the Arrow."

"My brother isn't dead," she told Ray.

"How would you know? It's not like he answers your calls, is it? That's why you came to Palmer Technologies in the first place, right? To make inquiries about Oliver Queen? Well, I guess that mystery has just cleared itself."

"And why did you agree to help me in the first place?," she countered.

"Why indeed. I guess I saw an opportunity and took it. Don't tell me you never thought about sending a thank you letter to our generous vigilante? Well, I guess since he's your brother-"

"Leave," she said, pointing to the door. He held up his hands in surrender and retreated.

Exhausted she let herself fall down in the chair with the computers. Fishing her phone out of her pocket she tried to call Ollie again.


	5. Chapter 5

**mjf2468:** Haha^^ I think it's time Thea learns about what her brother is up to in his free time, now that she's personally involved. And Ray….well, I always thought he should learn about the Arrow ever since they first showed him with A.T.O.M….and here is the next chapter.

**A/N:** The last POV-person finally shows up! Well, he was there before and I mentioned him once or twice, but here he is, getting some action himself. Also, Arrow returns in like a few minutes! Finally. (Although I'm not certain how much we see of Oliver...I hope more than a body :( )

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><p>The first thing that caught his eye was the missing suit. For a second he thought Oliver had already dressed up and left, then he remembered that Oliver was dead. It felt like a punch in the stomach every time. And then there was the thing with the missing suit.<p>

He was about to grab his own bow and arrow when the lights above him went out and the Arrow jumped down from them. Before he could make a move an arrow was aimed at him.

"Whoa, whoa. Who are you and what do you want?," he asked, raising his hands over his head. Just to be safe.

"Who I am is none of your concern. What happened to Oliver Queen?"

The voice was definitely female, although she seemed to use Olivers voice-filter. The suit was a little too big for her but it didn't seem to bother her.

"I'm not gonna tell some crazy chick - whoa!"

An arrow sailed an inch past his head and she had another notched in a matter of seconds.

"The next one will go somewhere on your body, Roy Harper. And now, what happened to Oliver Queen?"

He knew that voice, he could swear it. The way she said his name was so familiar and yet…..

"He's...he's dead," he said. She trembled a little, barely noticeable, but he did catch it. She had the whole time, he realized. "He's dead," he said again. The bow wavered, her hand almost losing it's grip on the arrow.

"_Thea_?"

She let the bow sink in defeat. He strode over and pushed the hood down. Underneath it she was crying. He hugged her.

"Hey, hey, shhh."

"I killed Sara," she whispered, the tears like waterfalls down her face. "I killed Sara and I didn't even knew I did and now you're telling me Ollie is dead and-"

"You didn't kill Sara," he said, taking her face in his hands, smearing the tears with his thumbs. "You didn't."

"Oh, yeah? Because this shows I did." She pressed Olivers phone to his chest, shoving him away.

"You didn't kill her," he insisted, placing his hand over hers. She was still shaking. He knew she had seen the video, but just because she had fired the arrows didn't mean she killed her. "Merlyn killed Sara. He drugged you and made you fire the arrows, alright? He confessed it all to Oliver."

"Is that why I can't remember any of it?"

He nodded, and she leaned her head into his shoulder, sobbing. Stroking her back he tried to calm her down, mentally chasting himself. He shouldn't enjoy this so much. Not her grief, of course. The hugging part. He shouldn't enjoy the hugging part so damn much.

"But why would he do that? Merlyn, I mean? I'm his _daughter," _she stared at him with determination.

"It's complicated," he said.

She broke out of his embrace, looking angry. "Don't give me that 'It's complicated'-bullshit, Roy. I'm not a little girl. I can take it."

"I know. I was going to in a second," he said, nudging her towards the table gently. "You might want to sit down though."

She did, looking at him expectantly. The tears were still flowing, although not as violent as before. He took a deep breath before he started.

"After the _Gambit_ went down Sara was taken in by _The League of Assassins_. They basically do what you think someone with that name would do and Merlyn was a part of that group too. Then they released him and everything was fine, until the Undertaking, where he broke one of the Leagues most important rules."

"Wait, so you're telling me my father is hunted by people that kill people because he killed people?"

"Innocent people. People that didn't need to die," he said. "So now there is a blood debt between Merlyn and Ra's al Ghul, the head of the League. And the only way to get rid of that debt is too kill Ra's in single combat." In a weird way that made the League sound mean. But then again they killed people for a living. You'd expect them to be mean.

"But what do I have to do with that? Why did he make me kill Sara?"

"So there is a debt between you and the League too. If they knew you did it, anyways. But they don't."

She gave him a confused look. "Don't they ask who killed their own?"

"They do. They gave us an ultimatum. We had to produce the killer in 48 hours or they would start killing citizens."

She jumped up. "That's horrible! We have to tell them, Roy. You have the killer. It-"

"Thea!" He grabbed her by the arms to keep her still. "That ultimatum was due two nights ago."

"I don't understand. No one died, so who the hell did you tell them did it?" She looked at him, her gaze intense. He stared back and then she understood.

"No. No, he wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that. He can't!"

He pressed her against him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Thea. I'm so god damn sorry. I wish he didn't have. I really wish."

"What happened?," she asked, her voice tight.

"Ra's stabbed him in battle, then kicked him down the mountainside. We-we don't even have a body to bury."

She started sobbing again and for the first time he too shed tears over Oliver.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **You don't know how proud I am to have guessed right. (Or deduced, more or less.) I was only halfway right, but I knew the who. And now I'm finally updating. Sorry that it took so long...

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><p>"Do you understand the plan, Mr. Queen?"<p>

Amanda Waller was sitting in the chair next to his bed, rigid and authoritative as always. Oliver himself was propped up on a bunch of pillows. His chest was still aching and the doctors had warned him that excessive movement might rip the scar open, but they had stopped pumping all kinds of drugs into him, which he took as a good sign. It also meant he trusted himself with decision making again.

"Yes," he answered. "I will supervise the team and develop more specific strategics until I am physically fit to execute them. And after the mission I am able to officially return to the living without any interference by Ra's al Ghul. In the meantime, no contact with anyone outside of Argus that has not been authorized by you personally."

He liked it as much as he'd liked Hong Kong, but he'd learned his lesson back then. If it was in Argus interest that the world to believed you were dead, you better let them pretend you were and play along. Besides, if he just showed back up in Starling it wouldn't be long until the League of Assassins was after him again. And they would be even more unpleasant. So he decided to play along Argus rules. Although he might have to find a way to let it slip to his friends that he wasn't dead. On Lian Yu he hadn't wasted as much time thinking what it would do to his mother, Thea, Tommy and Laurel if they believed him dead. Now it was all he could think about, what it would do to Thea, Felicity, Laurel, Diggle, and Roy. Partially because think was all he could do.

"Good." She smiled coolly. " I will introduce you to the selected individuals in the course of next week. I want you to communicate with them as much as possible. Maseo will give you all the intel you'll need on the League and I will set up a team of specialists to find Malcom Merlyn and get him where we need him to be when we need him to."

Waller got up, straightened her skirt and made for the door.

"No, you won't," he said. Now was his opportunity to make the situation a little more to his liking.

"Excuse me?" She whirled around, squinting at him, and for a second he doubted whether it was a good idea. Then he cleared his throat.

"No offense, but I don't trust your people," he said, trying not to piss her off too much. "See, like Maseo. He joined the League on your command, let me challenge Ra's al Ghul and watched me die without even blinking. If I hadn't been that important for your project he would have let me bleed to death on that mountain too. So, no offense, but I prefer working with my own people."

"So you suggest bringing strangers into Argus headquarters at the expense of their own lives, possibly risking exposure and all that for what? Your comfort Mr. Queen?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down.

_Their own comfort too_, he wanted to say. Amanda Waller, however wouldn't be swayed by personal reasons. They would have to be job related. He took a deep breath. "Team Arrow is good at keeping secrets and they are capable-"

"They are untrained amateurs that hunt petty criminals as a hobby," she interrupted. "Argus has trained specialists that do what they have to in order to get the mission done."

"Then give me both," he argued, trying not to sound too offended. They had managed to capture Slade Wilson on their own with the minimum amount of casualties, where Argus would have leveled a whole city to the ground. Plus he would go nuts in here without Diggle to advise him, Roy to annoy him and Felicity…..well, Felicity just generally being Felicity.

"Mr. Queen, I don't think you understand. This mission is of utmost importance and I cannot risk it by bringing your incapable friends into it. We do not have the time to train them properly, unless you want to spend years on this. It is, however, to my understanding that you want to go home as soon as possible. So you will work with what I give you. Do you comply?"

He knew any further arguments would be useless, yet he couldn't leave this without a little defiance. "Under one condition," he answered.

For the first time something like emotion crossed her face. She was annoyed.

Good.

"You will get me Felicity Smoak," he said. "She isn't going to operate in the open field, she _is _more capable than any of your IT specialists and I need at least _someone_ I can trust," he added when she started to speak.

While all of it was true he also needed her for more personal reasons. He knew it was selfish pulling her into this, but then at least she wouldn't have to suffer from his fake death.

Waller was silent for a while, probably thinking of the best way to let him know how much she thought of his idea.

"You are aware that there is no guarantee that she will agree to work with us?," she asked finally, her tone icy.

"You tell me," he said. "You are the ones recruiting her, not me. And you will get her, or I will refuse."

With a last squint she turned around to leave. "And figure out your problem with the League alone? I don't think so, Mr. Queen," she was almost smiling. "But very well. We will get Miss Smoak if that makes your time here easier for you and for us."

The door shut behind her and he was left to stare at bare concrete and metal again, praying to a God neither of them believed in that she would say yes.


	7. Chapter 7

Fanfict imagination: Thank you. Here is the new chapter, I hope you enjoy.

**A/N:** Happy Valentines Day, y'all.

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><p>She looked at her phone again, reading the words over and over.<p>

_Are you coming back to the cave? We got work to do._

It hadn't been two weeks and Roy already wanted to re-open the Arrow business. For a while she had thought it was a good idea too and come here straight from work. Then she had seen the capital V of Verdant, green and like an arrow pointing at her destination. Mocking her. That's when she felt the knife twisting again. She turned on the spot.

_I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do that right now_, she texted back. Slipping her phone into her pocket again she hurried home. The sun had already and somehow the Glades at night had turned into this frightening monster, now that she knew the Arrow wasn't out there anymore. People had to fend for themselves again, she had to fend for herself again, and it made her stomach churn. The last time she had felt like that was after she moved to college and had to make an appointment alone. Everyone else did it and survived it, but there was this little, irrational part of her that thought that maybe, maybe she was the first who didn't.

So she made sure to keep out of the streetlights and in the main streets, simple self protection 101. In her head she went through the defense techniques Sara had shown her, calming herself with the thought that if something happened she knew what to do.

All that didn't help when the car pulled up behind her. When she heard it halting she walked even faster, but in her heels she was easy to catch up with. As the first man got a grip of her arm she turned and kicked, hitting him in the shin. He yelped and let go but the second one was already behind her, pushing a wet cloth on her mouth. She reached behind herself in blind panic, scratching him. He didn't let go though and then the world went black.

* * *

><p>When she got to her senses again she was slumped in a chair. Neither bound and gagged she noticed with satisfaction. Confused she looked around. She was in a room with bare, damp concrete walls. Rusted steel pillars held the holey roof up. The place was surrounded by guardsmen, at least six inside and who knew how many outside. Not one of them seemed to carry any weapons although she had no doubt they could overtake her regardlessly should she try to make a run for it. In the chair in front of her sat a woman.<p>

No, not some woman. Amanda Waller.

Felicity let her head sink into her hands. "It's just Argus," she muttered. "Just Argus, just. Argus." She took a deep breath.

Waller regarded her curiously.

"There are better ways to arrange meetings with people, you know?," Felicity said. "Ways that don't include kidnapping and bringing them to some abandoned warehouse, gangster style."

"We are sorry if we scared you, Miss Smoak," Waller replied. If she was, her face didn't show it. "We have a proposal for you," she continued.

"That's what I figured," Felicity answered in her best business like manner. "What do you need me to do?"

"We are in no _need_ of your services, Miss Smoak, just to make that clear. The mission leader of one of our newest operation, however, has requested for you to be on his task force. We are merely complying with his wishes."

"And why would that mission leader want _me_?," she said. "I mean, he's a smart if he doesn't trust you guys, but why me?"

Waller smiled blandly. "It is beyond my understanding why he wants anything. Now, do you agree with our terms or do you not?"

Felicity drew her brows together. It wasn't like Waller had named any terms. "Since this is Argus we are talking about I figure the terms are absolute secrecy, no contact with the outside world whatsoever and no guarantee that I come out of this alive?"

Waller nodded curtly.

"How long will this _mission_ take?," Felicity continued. There was no need to ask what the mission was about, this was Argus after all.

"That depends entirely on the recovery of our mission leader. At the current rate maybe another month. Until it's execution everyone involved will be preparing at the base and learn to work together. We will, of course, provide you with a sufficient cover story. A vacation maybe." Although her face was emotionless Felicity couldn't shake the feeling that Waller was annoyed. She probably didn't like working with outsiders.

"Rome would be nice," she mused. Part of her was already yelling yes. A whole month where nothing would remind her of Oliver? A whole month to sort her thoughts without her friends asking if she was okay? A whole month of no Diggle watching over her like she was going to do something stupid out of grief every moment? Well, working with Argus might count as something stupid, but it was worth it, wasn't it?

"Miss Smoak," Waller interrupted her thoughts. "What can I tell our mission leader?"

The mention of this stranger reminded her of all the reasons why she should say no. Who was this man and how did he know her? And why did he want to work with Felicity of all people? Since he was arguing with Argus probably a lot like Oliver. And that was a good thing, right?

She hoped it was. Drawing herself up, she straightened her skirt. "You can tell him that his new IT specialist will not disappoint him," she answered, smiling without meaning it.

Waller smiled back as coolly. "I'm sure he will be pleased to hear that."


	8. Chapter 8

**Yelena89:** Yeah, that's gonna work out a little different than what happened canonically.

**Fanfict imagination:** A lot of fun things, to be sure^^

**Sara2117:** Unfortunately you will have to wait a little longer.

**A/N:** I'm almost done writing so I hope to be updating more regularly. Like at least weekly or so.

Also I a funny thing that happened while writing: I was working on this kinda emotional scene, just playing music in the background and there was this beautiful Wonderwall cover by Ed Sheeran and I was really into the scene and it worked pretty well. And, then the song ends and the next thing on my Playlist starts and all I hear is 'doh doh doh doh, doh doh this hit, this ice cold Michelle Pfeifer...' and yeah, if there is anything to blame for me not getting anything done it's probably my music taste.

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><p>"What is it?," She asked, bashing in on the mannequin.<p>

"Nothing," Roy answered, slipping his phone back into his pocket, "Just Felicity. I'm a little worried about her, that's all."

"Why?," she asked. Thea had tied her already short hair into a ponytail and some strands had gotten loose, now plastered to her skin. Way too sweaty as she was she actually felt really good today.

"I asked her to come here and help us start this again and she said she couldn't do it right now, which is okay, but I just think she might never, you know? And that scares the shit out of me. That Oliver's death gets her so much….." He picked up an arrow and started playing with it. Thea hit the mannequin a little harder.

"She'll be alright. I mean, I she'll get over it," she said. "The way you will and the way Diggle will." _Unlike the way I never will_, she added silently, swinging out again and again. Her arms were already tired but she couldn't have cared less.

"I think you are misunderstanding Felicity's relationship with your brother," he answered.

She looked up then, confused. "Huh?"

He put the arrow down. "These two? They are in love with each other but they are too stubborn to admit it and too selfless to fight for it. They tell everyone that all they want is each others happiness and at the same time are convinced they are the least possible pathway to achieve that."

She looked at him for a second, chuckled, then started hitting on the doll again. "If my brother was into her he would have had her already. He's that way with women, you know? I think you are the one misunderstanding their relationship."

He shook his head smiling with was probably nostalgia. It hadn't been two weeks and yet she felt herself grow nostalgic. Was that what a loved ones death did? Make you nostalgic? Maybe it was just wishing those easier times back.

"If you think of him that way you don't know your brother very well...and you most certainly haven't seen the way he looks at her. He might have handled women that way in the past, but Felicity is different. When it comes to her he's…... almost shy." He laughed without humor. "It took him five months after a fake 'I love you' to admit he might not have lied that much and ask her out on a date. Then someone ruined that by blowing up the restaurant. I don't know what happened afterwards, but they are still not together. Although sometimes you'd think they are the way they behave around and with each other….behaved, I mean." Another dry laugh followed the sour expression on his face.

She wasn't sure how to feel about the revelation that her brother might have had deeper feelings for a woman she didn't even know. Anything that was related to her brother the Arrow felt weird. There was so much more to his life than she had known and now that it all came to light it was past tense. He had been the Arrow. He had had loyal friends. He had had a woman he loved. He_ had_ had.

Thea walked over, sitting on the table in front of him. Her feet were on his chair, brushing his thighs. Somehow she was oddly aware of her feet in that brief moment. She was his ex-girlfriend. _Ex_. She should definitely stop thinking about him in that way. Damned nostalgia.

"What are we gonna do now?," she asked, stripping off her half-gloves.

He shrugged. "We can still do something. I mean, you can stay here and-"

"No way," she interrupted him. "I'm coming with you. The technical support would be on spot, but two is still better than one."

Roy sighed. "Okay."

"What about John Diggle?"

"Said he needed some time off for now. And I can't blame him either, if I had a family to look after I'd stay home as often as possible," Roy leaned back.

She smiled. "Just the two of us then. And I better get a hoodie so no one knows it's me. What color do you think? Green? Or red?"

"Neither. Green is the Arrow, red the Arsenal….."

"But with Ollie-" He voice caught. She couldn't say it. Not yet. "Aren't you the Arrow now? Which would mean that I could be the Arsenal…..?"  
>He shook his head. "I wouldn't presume that. No one...no one can ever replace the Arrow. I'm the Arsenal and you are…..well, we'll find a fitting name for you later. For now you are Thea."<p>

"Okay. So, color...what about purple?"

"You can't, the Huntress."

"Black."

"The Canary."

She rolled her eyes. "So I can choose any color but those already taken which is mostly all of them."

"Not all of them. There is orange. And yellow. Turquoise, Blue…..and white. But that gets dirty easily so….." He spread his hands as if to offer her the incomplete color palette that was at her disposal. Leaning forward she almost kissed him. Instead she kicked his chair away and jumped off the table.

"Well, let's see what my wardrobe has to offer. Call me when you found something," she said.

Back in her car she checked her texts. She ignored the hundred ones from Chase and the other thousands from as many people. One name caught her eye, mostly because it hadn't shown up for weeks.

Malcolm Merlyn.

_Thea, I hope you are ok. I'm back in town and heard Oliver disappeared again. If you need anything, contact me._

_I need you not to lie to me_, she thought. For a moment she almost typed it. But then, when she had accepted her father's offer she had wanted to never ever get hurt again. And if he wanted to play pretend that wasn't what had happened she was willing to comply. That way at least she needn't worry about her new night time activities, aside from running a club, becoming an issue. Both Ollie and Merlyn would be furious if they knew she was going on a criminal hunt with Roy. But one of them was the reason the other one was dead and if the poor excuse of a human being that she called her father wanted secrets, he could have them.


	9. Chapter 9

**ArrowTheaQueen:** Rhea is important.

**Fanfict imagination:** Well, for now we go back to Argus. For more than one chapter actually.

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><p>The Argus agent picked her up at the corner of the coffee shop, just as she had discussed with Amanda Waller. Once in the car she kept fidgeting with the rim of her cup. Her fingers itched for her phone or her tablet, which she had to leave with Argus. They were running some special programs to make it non-traceable. Argus wasn't exactly open about what they did but she figured she would just hack it later and complied without further inquiry.<p>

The windows were tinted on the inside so that she didn't see which way they were taking. With all this secrecy Felicity stared to doubt whether this had really been a good idea. It was, however, to late to change her mind. She would have to see this through, for better or worse. Smile, she told herself.

They stopped in front of a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, just the way you'd imagine a secret operation base. She again wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into. Waller hadn't let any information slip, mostly because they had to let her go so she could pack and take care of some things in personal. Disappearing without showing your face to anyone before hand would make the month-long _vacation_ even more suspicious.

So she had shown up in Rays office, tears streaming down her eyes, admitting that maybe she was wrong about the time off. To him she was on her way to Vegas right now. To Diggle and Roy she was in Rome. She hadn't talked to either in person, not sure what they would say. And to her mother she was still in Starling.

In reality she was….well, somewhere near Starling. It didn't matter.

"Ms. Smoak, if you would follow me," Waller greeted her. The agent who had driven her handed her her suitcase and then she meekly tried to keep up with Wallers fast paced strides.

The first room she was shown was a one in a series of probably identical ones along the same hallway, housing the eight agents that were involved in this mission, Waller explained. The room was plain steel, glass and concrete, incandescent lights and not a single window. The linen were white and grey also. On a table by the bed lay her phone and her tablet. She picked up the earlier to check her texts, then looked up at Waller who was standing in the door frame, arms crossed.

"I guess you will want to show me the facilities first before I unpack?", Felicity asked and then she was hurrying after Waller again.

There was the cafeteria where she could get food almost 24/7, the gym, and, most important of all, the base itself. She didn't exactly know if there was a name that she could call the room. It was big with a lot of computers and screens, some chairs, a red couch and a table. The computers were brand new, even better than what she had in the Arrow Cave, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on them.

During the tour she met Agents Johnson and Davis, two broad shouldered, square faced men and while Waller gave her a briefing on the goal of the operation Agent Miller introduced herself. Two more agents were on their way from the last mission they had worked. At no point, however, anyone made any allusion to the operation leader that had so desperately wanted her on his team as to risk a fall out with Argus.

"I will leave the rest for Agent Yamashiro to explain," Waller ended her soliloquy and then exited the room, apparently not caring at all about whether or not Felicity had understood everything. She sighed, hoping this was not how the next month or so would be like.

Yamashiro turned out to be her nightmare. She had seen his face repeatedly when she closed her eyes, his voice echoing in her mind.

_Oliver Queen is dead._

And here the assassin stood, as if it all hadn't happened.

"Miss Smoak, my name is Maseo Yamashiro. I will be working with you for the next weeks," he said, holding his hand out for her. She ignored it, staring at him intently. He let the hand sink again.

"Miss Smoak, I get that all this might be a little confusing, so if you want to-"

"You were there," she said, "When Ra's al Ghul stabbed him you were there, and you probably didn't even blink." She felt her eyes water. "Do they know you work for the League?"

"Argus is the reason why I live two lives," he answered, looking like he finally recognized her. "We all have to make sacrifices. But I don't think you get the full picture here. Follow me."

_That is all Oliver is to you?_, she almost yelled, _A sacrifice? _

The agent stopped at one of the doors to the agents quarters and opened it. "Go ahead."

The room was exactly like hers, dominated by a bed and furnished in steel and concrete. Someone was laying in the bed and a woman in blue scrubs was bent over that person, hiding them from view. There was a weird familiarity making her stomach churn. It wasn't the way the room smelled, sterile and like concrete, the way the whole building smelled. Neither was it the the room itself, cold and bare like her own, as if no one lived in it. And yet...

She was dimly aware of Agent Yamashiro retreating behind her, leaving the door open. _You can still leave_, the voice in her head said. But to what avail? Counting Yamashiro and herself this was the last person she had yet to meet, the obscure operation leader.

The nurse shuffled past, closing the door behind her.

He sat upright, an array of pillows at his back. A big white patch covered the right side of his chest where the blade must have went in. Otherwise he looked as usual, short cropped hair and stubble on his jaw. Alive and healthy. When he saw her standing in the middle of the room he smiled.

"Felicity."


	10. Chapter 10

**Yelena89:** Here you go :)

**Fanfict imagination:** Emotional stuff, that's what's next.

**A/N: **I hope y'all aren't still emotionally compromised from Wednesday. I sure am. The rating for the story is now T because I relent to graphical violence towards the end. Speaking of which: I'm done writing this story so for me it is only editing and uploading from here on. Let's hope I can fit that into a school schedule.

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><p>She just stood there staring. At first he didn't see it but then she started to shake more violently. Was she crying?<p>

"You're supposed to be dead," she said after forever. There were definitely tears.

He opened his mouth to speak, then realized he was missing the words. After Waller had told him that Felicity had agreed to help Argus he had thought the situation through a billion times. What she would say, what she would look like, what he would say to her…..but now he was too overwhelmed by her presence.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed.

That made her angry. Or maybe she had been angry the whole time? He couldn't tell.

"Sorry?," she echoed, her voice thick from crying. "After all this, after all the-" she sobbed "after all the things-" another sob "and all you can say is you're _sorry?_"

"Felicity." He reached out for her.

She held her hands up protectively. "No. Oliver, please, don't. Don't."

Lowering her hands she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He let her.

"I-I-I can't. Not now. I'm sorry," she said when she stopped shaking. Then she bolted from the room.

He let himself fall back into the pillows, huffing, running his hands through his hair, then settling them on his neck.

Of course this would have happened. Of course it would shock her more than any other re-appearance. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he shown up at three in the morning at her place. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he shown up at the club some night. She wouldn't have freaked out that much had he just sent her on a scavenger hunt for him, showing his face in random security cameras over the city. But no, he had to have her for the mission. A mistake, he realized. Mistake, mistake, mistake.

Just what could he do to make it up? To make everything up?

Five hours later a knock finally pulled him from pondering over that question. He pulled the sheets straight and tried not to look like he had spent hours trying to figure out what the heck exactly was wrong with him that he always had to hurt people, especially those he loved.

"Come in."

Felicity had returned. She pushed the door open with her back, carrying a tray in both hands.

"Hey," she said, trying her best to smile.

"Hey," he said back, surprised.

She held up the tray and took a deep breath. "I thought you might be hungry. And we need to talk."

She placed the tray on the table next to his bed and then stood there, awkwardly.

"You can sit wherever you want," he said, secretly hoping she would sit on the bed. Felicity choose the chair instead, only pulling it a little closer. He handed her one of the plates and then picked at his food with his fork. They started talking at the same time.

"Felicity, listen, when I said-"

"Oliver, I'm sorry for exploding-"

She looked back at her food.

"Can I talk first?," he asked. She nodded.

"When I said I was sorry…..I really am sorry. For everything. And I know that sorry is a small word that barely begins to encompass the apology I owe you and Diggle and everyone for all the pain I caused. But, I don't know how to phrase it differently, so I want you to know that when I said I was sorry, I meant it that way. And if there is any way -_anything _that I can do_-_ to make it up to you…."

"I just have to ask for it," she finished for him. "You can start by telling me what exactly happened on that mountain and why you are with Argus now. But before that listen to me." She held up her hand silencing, staring at her food like it contained all the answers to the universe.

"I'm sorry for freaking out so much just now. I'm happy to see you and glad you told me you weren't dead _now_ and not in like two years because that would have been awful because who knows what might have happened to me then. I might have gotten over it and learned to live without you and two weeks were awful enough and oh God, I sound so weird right now….anyways. I'm glad to be here and know and maybe able to help and….."

She let out her breath loudly, leaving the thought unfinished. He had to smile.

"What?," she asked.

"Nothing. I just….I'm glad that you feel that way."

She smiled back and pulled the chair closer.

"So, the mountain, huh," he started, eating some of his food to make her wait a little. For emphasis, not because he didn't know how to put everything that had happened since he told her he loved her into words. "Let's see…."

He summed up everything that had happened, from the climb to Ra's al Ghul, Maseo, Argus, and what they planned to do as soon as he had recovered. She stared at him with wide eyes and put down a fork full of food more than once. When he repeated what he had said to Waller about why they needed Felicity on the team she laughed a little.

After they were done eating she went to dispose of their dishes and for a moment he was afraid she wouldn't come back. His fear was irrational however for she came strolling through the door minutes later, steering for the chair.

"No, wait," he said, patting the free side of the bed. She seemed to consider for a moment, then went around and sat down next to him.

"So, what are we going to do now?," she asked, falling back into the pillows.

He shrugged. "Talk, watch a movie...I don't know." Oliver tried his best to sound casual. He really had no idea how to approach this.

"A movie sounds good." She smiled and grabbed the remote. He lay back and tried to relax.


	11. Chapter 11

**Fanfict imagination:** *thumbs up*

**A/N:** Felt like a Wednesday would be a good day to publish this... ;)

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><p>He was doing the salmon ladder. He wasn't two days out of bed rest yet and he was doing the salmon ladder. 4th hook, 5th, 6th, 7th…<p>

Then she remembered what day it was and had to laugh. Oliver dropped from the ladder and walked over. The white patch was gone and the scar showed like a red warning sign. _Careful, do not touch. Dangerous man, has knowledge of various weapons and how to use them in combat. May also cause heartache and or also headaches. _

"What's so funny?," he asked.

"It's Wednesday. You used to do that every Wednesday."

He looked back at the ladder and gave a short laugh. "I didn't notice," he said while pulling his shirt back on.

_I did_, she thought.

"So, what are you doing here? Aside from reminiscing about what I do on Wednesdays?"

"I was going to grab lunch and thought I'll ask you if you want to join me. And after the workout you just completed you should be hungry."

He shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, you need to eat. So you're coming with me," she insisted.

Felicity dragged him out by the wrist and heard him chuckle an "As you wish, ma'am" behind her.

In the cafeteria she pushed a tray in his hands and started loading food onto it.

"Okay, who made you angry? Because you're kinda starting to scare me," he said.

"What? No. I'm not angry. I...sorry. I guess you can get your own food." She handed him the spoon, feeling a little deflated.

"Seriously though, is everything okay?," he asked.

"Yeah. I'm just...a little stressed out I guess. Anna asked me if I could keep tabs on her brother who went missing while on a mission and then Waller wants to have a report on the technological capabilities of Nanda Parbat by the end of the week and then we have all those meetings and ugh…."

He frowned at her. "Who is Anna?"

"Agent Miller, sorry. Her whole family practically works for Argus, her brother went missing on a mission two weeks ago and her cousin is looking for him now…..it's all very complicated."

"Well, at least you've been making friends," he said while sitting down.

"Because that's so important," she answered, sliding into the spot next to him.

"You're the IT specialist. You'll be supervising the whole operation and telling everyone where to go. It _is _important that they trust you."

"Great." She let her head fall into her hand and played with her food.

He gave her shoulder a nudge. "Hey, at least you don't have to shove gym hours into that busy schedule of yours."

"Don't start with that. You _love _your gym hours. Admit it."

He laughed. "I don't hate them, that's true. But that doesn't mean they can't be boring sometimes... hey, why don't you come and train with me and in return I'll help you with your report or whatever?"

"You and helping me with my report...sure. And, how exactly do you plan to do that?" She squinted, already feeling a little better. Less like the whole weight of the world rested on her shoulders. The food suddenly didn't look like a necessity anymore and Felicity took bigger bites.

"Well, I might not know so much about coding as you do, but I'm a professional Thesaurus user. I can help with the writing part."

Giggling she almost choking on her food. "Professional Thesaurus user."

"Hey, I mean it. I _can_ help."

She decided to let him dangle a little and finish eating first. Oliver looked at her expectantly over his almost empty plate.

"Yes or no, Felicity?"

"It's fine, I'll train with you regardless," she answered, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. "I was planing on going to the gym one of these days anyways."

"Great," he smiled, grabbing the empty trays. "I'll meet you there."

"Like now? But we just-"

He was gone before she could finish her sentence. So she got up, went to fetch her yoga pants and shirt, then met Oliver in the gym. He was already hanging from the salmon ladder again but pulled it down as soon as he saw her walk in.

He slapped the metal bar. "Come over here."

"No," she said almost immediately. "There's no way I'm doing that thing."

He chuckled. "Come here."

She went reluctantly. "You know I won't be able to make it even to the second hook."

"Yes you will. It's easy, really." He grabbed the bar and swung. "It's basically a pull-up, just that you swing a little like this-" He did. "-and then when you go up you swing back and-" He lifted the bar and placed it on the next hook. "-go like that." He sprung down with the bar and put it back into place. "Your turn."

She couldn't manage one pull up and her adventure with the salmon ladder went accordingly. He told her again and again to swing and to pull up but to no avail. It got even worse when he tried to help her because she spend all her willpower to not concentrate on his hands on her hips. All these movies in which jealous husbands thought their wife's had affairs with their gym trainers made a lot more sense afterwards. Not that making out with some guy who had touched her during a workout seemed a good idea. But this was Oliver, she already _had_ feelings for him and the fact that they were so _close_ didn't make it any better.

In the end she somehow miraculously ended up hanging from the second hook. That was only after he manually lifted her up.

"Awesome. Now that I'm up here, can I come down again?," she asked. The whole situation made her feel awkward and she desperately wanted to escape.

He chuckled and grabbed her by the waist, letting her slide down against him.

"I could've jumped," she said, backing away after she hit the ground. She ran into the ladder and petted it like the metal had actual feelings that got hurt when she hit it. Just another sign that she had absolutely no clue what she was doing.

"I know," he said. _But I wanted to lift you down_, she added in her head. At least that's what she thought he would have thought. She hoped he did. Then she mentally chided herself. This wasn't the place nor the time, even if he did love her.

"Well, I'll be over there, doing sit-ups and other things I _can_ do." She pointed to the mats at the other end of the room, backing off.

"You're not mad at me, are you?," he called after her and for a second she thought she detected a whim of panic in his voice.

"Mad? No. Just...don't make me do that ever again."


End file.
